Carcinoid

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Carcinoid**
*Classifications and external resources*
ICD-10	E 34.0
ICD-9	259.2
ICD-O:	M 8240/3
OMIM	114900
DiseasesDB	2040
MedlinePlus	000347
eMedicine	med/271

Picture of a carcinoid tumour that encroaches into lumen of the small bowel. Pathology specimen. The prominent folds are plicae circulares, a characteristic of small bowel.

Carcinoid, also carcinoid tumour and carcinoid tumor, is a slow-growing but often malignant type of neuroendocrine tumour, originating in the cells of the neuroendocrine system.

1 Symptoms
2 Treatment
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Symptoms

Most carcinoids are asymptomatic through the natural lifetime and are discovered only upon surgery for unrelated reasons; these are called coincidental carcinoids. But all carcinoids are considered to have malignant potential.

About ten percent of carcinoids secrete excessive serotonin (5-HT), causing:

Flushing
Diarrhea
Wheezing
Abdominal Cramping
Peripheral Edema

This set of symptoms is called carcinoid syndrome or (if acute) carcinoid crisis. Occasionally, haemorrhage or the effects of tumor bulk are the presenting symptoms. The most common originating sites of carcinoid are the appendix (60%) and the ileum; ovarian origin is rare.

[edit] Treatment

Surgery, if feasible, is the only curative therapy. If the tumour has metastasized, (most commonly, to the liver), the tumour may be ineligible for surgery (unresectable).

Chemotherapy is of little benefit and is generally not indicated. Octreotide (a somatostatin analogue) may decrease the secretory activity of the carcinoid.